Fountain tooth-brush.



W. 0. CAMPBELL.

FOUNTAIN TOOTH BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED APII. a. I9II.

1,163,319. Patented 111111915.

f/g?. "NM 2 IYIII'IIIIIIIMIIIHI UNITED QFFICE.

. WInLInf olfc'AMKPBnLL, olf's'r, Louis, Missoula.

To all whom z't mag/'concern Y Be it known that I, WILLrAM O. CAMP- nnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State .of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Fountain Tooth- Brushes, of which the following is a specification. f o

This invention relates to means for providing a continuous supply of medicated mouth wash to a tooth brush while in use, and has for its primary object to provide an improved construction, combination and arrangement of parts in ya device of this character.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved device ofthis 'character which will be free from all danger of contamination or infection by reason of its being used by any desired number of people.

Another object is to provide an improved construction for intercepting any flow of liquid from the brush head on to the handle of the tooth brush.

Another object is to provide a flow of medicated mouth wash down through the bristles of the brush in such a manner as to keep them thoroughly clean and sanitary.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts exemplilied in the drawings and specifically set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure l1v is a side elevation of my improved apparatus, parts being broken away and parts shown in section to more clearly illustrate the same. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line II-II, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section of a modification. -F ig. 4l is an enlarged detail section on the line IV-IV, Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings and lirst of all to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a receptacleor tank 1l for medicated mouth wash or the like is provided above with a removable cover 2 and below with a conical bottom at 3. Depending from the conical bottom 3 is a tubular neck 4: within which is rotatably mounted a stop cock 5. The lower end of the tubular neck 4: is provided with an enlarged outlet portion 6 provided with an interior annular groove within which is seated a disk 7 of any suitable iexible material such as rubber or the like. Said disk is provided with a ceny Specication of Letters Patent.

Patenteqfnee. 7, 1 915.

Appucationmedaprn8,1911. seriainaeiaiu.

tral aperture somewhat smaller inf diameter than the neck portion of a spool couplinv member 8 which is provided on either en wlth an enlargement 9, one enlarvement belng adapted to receive one end of a flexible elastic tube 10 of rubber or other suitable material.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tooth brush comprises a head 11 provided withV a longitudinal tubular passageway 12 terminating in the rear in an upwardly and rearwardly projecting tubulure 13, over the enlarged end of which the lower end of the tube 10 is drawn. In order to thoroughly cleanse the bristles 14 of the brush and maintain them in a thoroughly sanitary condition, I provide a plurality of discharge outlets 15 leading from the passagewayV 12 to the roots of the several bristles. These discharge outlets vare preferably arrangedv in a series as shown in Fig. l, but, of course, may be arranged in any suitable manner. In order to provide means fori preventing any back flow from the brush onto the handle 16 I provide a forwardly opening cup portion 17, which is preferably formed integrally with an inner tube 20 of any suitable material,

said tube 20 having an upwardly deflected rear end provided with a tubulure 21 for receiving the lower end of the elastic tube. The horizontal portion of the inner tube 20 is slotted longitudinally to permit the discharge ofl the medicated fluid therefrom through the apertures 22 to the roots of the bristles 23. In this embodiment, the means for preventing back flow of liquid along the outside surface of the brush head and handle consists of4 a disk 24 of some elastic material which may be drawn into position over the head of the brush or over the handle thereof before the connecting tube is placed in position.

When in use, every individual, such as each member of a family, who obtains a supply of medicated tooth wash from the receptacle 1', has his or her tooth brush constructed in the manner disclosed provided with an individual tube l0 whose upper end is also provided with the spool-coupling member 8. The receptacle or tank `1 is always positioned 'some' distance above where they the medicated fluid, but also to obviate all danger of contamination from the fluid fiowingrearwardly along the tube l0 to the source of supply, and a rearward liow of' the fluidfrom the head of' the brush on the outside is prevented by the guard disk or cup at the rear end of' the brush head. When an individualuses the apparatus, he, or she, shoves the coupling S into position as shown in Fig. l, and after turning on the desired supply of fiuid by means ofl the stop cock 5, the fluid discharges through Vthe tubular head and discharge outlets leading therefrom downwardly through the bristles on the tooth brush, thus thoroughly cleansing them and maintaining them in a sanitary condition. One of the advantages of this arrangement ot parts is that the fluid is thoroughly distributed throughout all of the bristles of' the tooth brush. At the same time, the arrangement of the discharge openings from the passageway 12 permits of the fluid being directed directly upon the upper ends of the bristles to be conveyed by capillary attraction to the outer ends where it may be deposited directly upon the teeth and gums and not loosely in the mouth to be picked up by the brush and applied indirectly. It `will be appreciated that this 'construction also prevents the collection ot' food, saliva, or bacteria or the like on the bristles of' the brush, so that said brush is maintained sterilized and thoroughly sanitary.

My improved apparatus also contemplates the employment of a lsupply of medicated mouth wash in combination with a fountain tooth brush making it possible to introduce in this manner a medicated fluid which will counteract all tendency toward an unhealthy condition of the mouth.

What I claim is:

A tooth brush comprising a handle, a

,head having a hollow formed therein, bristlesdepending from said head, discharge outlets formed in said head leading from said hollow to said bristles, an inner tube inserted into said hollow having an upwardly deflected rear end, said rear end being provided with a tubulure, a sl'ot extending longitudinally of the horizontal portion of said tube, said slot adapted to communicate with said discharge outlets, and a hose adapted to be secured to said. tubulure.

WILLIAM O'. CAMPBELL.

In the presence of- J. B. MEGOWN, M. C. HAMMON. 

